The State Museum Schwerin (Staatliches Museum Schwerin) was opened in 1882. It is built in neo-renaissance style. At the time of its construction, it was considered the authoritative museum building. Particularly well-known exhibits are the animal representations of the French painter Jean Baptiste Oudry and the objects of Marcel Duchamp.
Schwerin is the capital city (LANDESHAUPTSTADT) of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The manhole covers in Schwerin show the city arms in the version of 1991. The depicted knight represents Henry the Lion (Heinrich der Löwe). The conspicuous flag in his hand is a gonfalon.
The orangery of Schwerin Castle (Schloss Schwerin) was built in 1853. During the era of the German Democratic Republic, the rooms were used as a Polytechnic Museum for a few years. Today, during the warm seasons, visitors can enjoy cakes and coffee in the Orangerie Café.
The ****Hotel Speicher am Ziegelsee is located inside a former granary dating back to 1939. The edifice is situated next to a lake named Ziegelsee so guests can reach the hotel by boat. The sign HOTEL SPEICHER is actually the sign of the boat station.
The traditional shop generally known as ‘Das alte Handelshaus‘ (The old merchant house) is situated at the address Schmiedestraße 11. Today it houses a chain store of a tea merchant (Tee-Maass). Even though it is a tea shop you can buy a lot of different goods, e.g. a coffee named after a local ghost: Petermännchen Kaffee.
Looking downstairs at Schwerin Palace (Schloss Schwerin). The palace houses a museum as well as the state diet (Landtag) of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The Petermännchen (Little Peterman) is a good-natured household spirit who is said to live in the Schwerin Palace. He is rewarding those who are honest and good but punishes thieves and intruders. Today it is a sort of mascot and one can see him in many parts of the city life. There is even a coffee named after him: Petermännchen Kaffee.